Dear Eliza
Andrea J. Stein
Flash point books, October 8, 2024
336 pages
Review by: E. Broderick
It’s a good idea to start a book with some action, or a large emotional moment, to quickly grab the reader and immerse them in the characters world. In Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein the first chapter opens on a shiva. The main character, Eliza, is mourning her father. This officially makes her an orphan since her mother passed when Eliza was in high school. Immediately, it becomes clear to readers that there is some serious family drama between Eliza and her stepmother. Plus, her brother is fraying at the edges. We are definitely in a major emotional moment and it only gets more intense from there.
In a shocking reveal, Eliza learns that her now deceased father wasn’t really her biological father. It’s a secret her mother kept even when she knew she was dying, only revealing it via a letter that she wrote to be opened by Eliza after the passing of the man that raised her and she considers her father. What a way to end a shiva. Understandably, Eliza does not handle the news well. Less understandably, her stepmother tries to use this as a means to remove Eliza from the will, and Eliza’s brother disagrees with how Eliza chooses to handle the entire situation.
There’s a lot of emotional tension, but the book also features a sweet romance. Readers with weight and diet issues might want to go in knowing that Eliza tends to grieve by starving herself. While this is never officially labeled as an eating disorder, there is a lot of talk about food restriction, intake, and weight that certainly felt, at the very least, eating disorder adjacent to me. There’s also a fair amount of privilege in Eliza’s life and job, and while she does acknowledge it, it’s still fairly glaring. This is not the life and career of your typical twenty something.
The nice thing about Dear Eliza was watching not only Eliza’s grieving process but also her relearning how to relate to her parents and family in general. She realizes that her mother, who is responsible for a fair amount of the privilege she enjoys, is also responsible for a lot of the current mess she’s in. Her brother, whom she has always turned to for support, might himself need some help sometimes, and her stepmother isn’t necessarily a good digging demon. Nobody is perfect, especially Eliza.
While all of that might seem heavy, this is a quick read. The prose is smooth and the pages turn quickly. When Eliza finds her happy ending the reader is genuinely happy for her and optimistic about her future. We open on high drama but we end on comfort. Who could ask for anything better?
Note: BookishlyJewish received an arc of this book from the publisher